Fran Conley, coordinator of the Coalition for a Sustainable 520, said Microsoft shouldn’t “throw its weight in this way.”

So what’s the fuss all about?

On Feb. 1, McGinn, Murray and state Rep. Jamie Pedersen unveiled a plan for rehauling the state’s finalized blueprints for replacing the current SR 520 corridor – from Interstate 5 to Medina – with a six-lane highway, including two HOV lanes. Their alternative calls for two lanes dedicated only to buses and light rail.

They say an alternative that focuses on a future with mass transit is the way to go. But Microsoft, along with others that support the state’s plan, says 13 years of study is enough – there currently is no plan for light rail along the 520 corridor, and incorporation of it would needlessly necessitate further delays.

Besides – the current plan, known as Option A+, provides for light-rail expansion when the time comes.

“We’ve allowed the perfect to become the enemy of progress,” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel, said at a news conference Tuesday in Redmond. “If we’ve been looking at this for 13 years already, does anybody think a 14th or 15th year will make a difference?”

Later in the day, Murray accused Microsoft of slowing down the process itself.

“We’re trying to find ways to deal with issues that have not been addressed, that the law requires to be addressed on the west side of the bridge,” he said. “That requires bringing together a lot of parties. (Microsoft’s announcement) is not helpful at this late date.

“It feels like Seattle residents … they’re down, and now they feel like they’re being kicked.”